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Old 26th Aug 2019, 12:21 am   #195
Phil G4SPZ
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK.
Posts: 4,736
Default Re: Old torches - anyone here collect them?

Here’s one of the torches I was looking for earlier. The supplier was Internatiinal Sourcing Solutions of Peterborough, a company now dissolved. It’s a scam. Despite the blurb on the box, “Everlasting torch - no batteries needed”, it actually contains a pair of CR2032 coin cells in series, which are essential to its operation.

When I acquired the torch, it didn’t work at all. The magnet can be shaken between two rubber end-stops and passes through the centre of the solenoid in the handle. The solenoid feeds what looks like a bridge rectifier comprising four diodes. However, no amount of shaking would produce even a glimmer of light. When I took it apart I found the duff batteries, and once replacements were fitted it worked perfectly, albeit with a fairly pathetic beam of light from the single cold white LED, flat reflector and bullseye lens.

I could understand it if the batteries were disc-type DEACs or similar rechargeable cells, but they weren’t!

Phil
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Last edited by Phil G4SPZ; 26th Aug 2019 at 12:24 am. Reason: Update
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